The holidays are approaching, and for many people that means cooking and baking for gatherings with family and friends. It’s a good time to revisit food safety practices and, perhaps, learn a few things you might not have realized can help you and your loved ones avoid food-borne illnesses.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that 48 million Americans get sick every year from food, and some of these illnesses are due to things we do in the kitchen without realizing they could make us sick.

If you have a parent or other older family member who has a physical disability or cognitive impairment, it’s a good idea to make sure they are safe from possible food safety issues.

Diminishing eyesight, mobility issues and mild cognitive impairment can sometimes result in people not realizing they have expired food, for example, or haven’t cooked food adequately for safety.

The following are food safety guidelines from experts that can help you and your loved ones stay healthy and have a great holiday season, and beyond:

Recognize and toss old food

Figuring out when food has gone bad is challenging because package dates can be confusing.

“Sell by”
helps the store manage its stock; food past this date is still safe, explains Amanda Kostro Miller, a registered dietitian with Smart Healthy Living, an online resource for healthy living advice and products.

“Best by”
shows the date after which flavor decreases, however, it’s safe to eat after this date.

“Use by”
is the date after which the product quality decreases, similar to “best by.”

None of that explains when food is actually unsafe, though. Registered dietitian Jenna Guadagna, of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says, “There is no hard and fast rule. If food is being properly stored, you can use it a little past the ‘use by’ or ‘best by’ date.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it’s OK to eat food after the “use by” and “best by” dates unless it exhibits signs of spoilage, like a bad odor, off flavor, mold, discoloration or alteration in texture.

A couple of items that people too often keep for too long are butter and flour.

If you refrigerate your butter, it will last three months. If you don’t, you should use it within 10 days, according to StateFoodSafety, a food safety training and certification company.

White flour will last six to 12 months; wheat flour will last for one month, Guadagna says.

If you’re unsure about pantry items, Julie Harrington, a chef, registered dietitian and co-author of The Healing Soup Cookbook says, “The general rule of thumb is that canned food has a shelf life of at least two years.”

Dented cans can contain dangerous bacteria and should be tossed “if the dent is deep enough where your finger can rest in the divot, if the dent has a sharp point or if the can is bulging,” Harrington says.

Be smart about leftovers

For many people, holidays bring our favorite family dishes, followed by delicious leftovers, and it can be tough to throw these out. But for food safety, adhere to Guadagna’s rule of thumb: “Leftovers should be used three to four days after initial preparation.”

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